A Clockwork Sphinx
by Ryven
Summary: A Bill Weasley Adventure in Egypt. Chap 3 Ver 3.0 up! (7/29) (its listed as Ch 4)
1. Chapter 1

Standard disclaimers apply. What's JKRs is hers and what's mine is mine and if you can't tell the difference, then you haven't read these wonderful books and you really should! Shame on you! I make no money. No really, I don't. Please review and give comments, 'cause I love'em! They give me warm fuzzy feelings and keep me writing.

A Clockwork Sphinx

(A Bill Weasley Adventure in Egypt)

            Bill Weasley whistled a merry tune as he strolled down the crowded streets of the wizard district of Cairo. The market was alive with activity as the day merchants closed shop and night merchants took their places. Pleasant smells wafted down from a stall selling food. Not so pleasant smells wafted down from a camel trader. Having just completed a very profitable assignment breaking the curses of a highly guarded cache around the first cataract, not even the smell of camel dung could dampen his spirits. The Goblins had been very pleased with the amount of gold he'd been able to retrieve and had given him a tidy bonus. His bank account larger than before, Bill was looking forward to a relaxing evening at his small flat and a chance to write his mother before she began sending howlers. But first, he had to pick up his next assignment.

            "Bill!" Aziz, a co-worker of Bill's, greeted him as he stepped into the crowded wizard tavern, the Quizzical Sphinx. Taller than Bill and strongly Arabic, Aziz was in charge of handing out assignments to the curse-breakers Gringotts employed - and occasionally dealing with mundane legalities when the "next of kin" tried to claim what the curse-breakers found in various tombs. "I forgot the password, really!" was reportedly the excuse of choice. Aziz also favored clothing in a style Bill thought of as "Exploded Parrot". Today's eye wrenching number highly favored bright canary yellow and sunset red with a good bit of iris purple. Ow.

            "Hey Aziz," Bill clasped the other man's hand and sat down across from him at the small table. Mercifully, the table hid most of Aziz's robes. Aziz ordered drinks and Bill took out his handkerchief. He wiped his sweating brow before it had time to gel unpleasantly in the magically cooled air. "So," Bill asked, "What's my next assignment," he was eager to get down to business and be home before the chill of the desert night invaded the city.

            Aziz smiled and took out a scroll with the official Gringott's seal and handed it to Bill. "The Goblins were quite happy with your last retrieval. In addition to the tidy sum they've already given you as a bonus, they've given you this assignment. Quite a number of curse-breakers have tried, and none have succeeded so far,"

            "And this is a reward?" Bill arched and eyebrow and tapped the scroll with his index finger. Rewards from the Goblins usually involved payment of your medical expenses, money or perhaps vacation time.

            "Indeed it is my friend. Should you survive, the riches supposedly in there are supposed to be quite spectacular!"

            "Wait, _IF I survive?" Bill's eyebrows shot up towards his hair._

            "Not all the wizards and witches who have attempted to gain access have died. Most even kept all their limbs,"

            "But?" Bill prompted.

            "Lets say that the Goblins are quite considerate when they compensate the next of kin," Aziz shrugged.

            "Ah-hah. And I am doing this job why?"

            "The riches, Bill. That and I'd have the unfortunate task of docking your pay if you didn't at least attempt to break in,"

            "Hey!"

            "We work with Goblins. What do you expect?" Aziz shrugged, "But think of the bragging rights!"

            "Have you tried to enter it? why is it so hard?"

            "I did indeed try once. Unfortunately I was caught by one of the unbroken curses and hurled several hundred yards out of the entrance,"

            "Really,"

            "Yes," Aziz nodded, "Fortunately my carpet caught my fall. That reminds me, I need to take her for a bath. Well, you will want to start on this soon. One cruse breaker was stuck in the antechamber for a week,"

            "A week?" Bill's light mood was rapidly depressing.

            "Yes. She wasn't very happy when we finally came to get her out,"

            "I can't think why?" Bill muttered, "So where is this tomb?" Bill asked as he broke the seal and unrolled the scroll. A highly detailed map of the cliffs just south of the Valley of the Kings showed a little blinking red 'X' over a spot in a canyon.

            "I've taken the liberty of purchasing provisions for you, including a horn of plenty. It's charmed with the standard month of two meals a day. You leave in the morning,"

            "Thanks, I think," He supposed he could wait to write home for a few more days before being on the receiving end of one of his mother's howlers.

            So this is the 'Legendary' Valley of the Blue Sphinxes, Bill thought to himself as he navigated through the canyon on his broomstick. He was about twenty feet in the air. High enough so he didn't have to worry too much about traps or death from a bad fall.

The walls of the canyon were covered in highly eroded murals, the ground in the debris of long destroyed statues.  Featured prominently in what was left of the pictures were Sphinxes (of course) and various Animal headed gods interacting with them. Some were teaching, some were giving things and other seemed to be attended by the creatures. 

Four decapitated sphinx statues were all that remained of what had been a long avenue Bits of the road peaked out here and there from under the sand. Though they were a good thirty miles away from where the Nile had flowed more then ten thousand years before, the walls of the canyon showed heavy water damage at the bottom of the high cliff walls. Bill made a mental note to look out for flooding traps. A sudden rush of water quickly turned desert sand into rather nasty quicksand. Bill consulted his map so see how close he was to his destination. The little dotted pathway on the map grew smaller as Bill approached the blinking X. Turning around one final bend, he saw the entrance to the tomb. Or temple, as the name of the place appeared by the X.

            The Temple of the Waiting Sphinx. Poetic, Bill thought. It was a rather impressive carved entrance as these things went. Bill took out his wand then scanned the area with a few spells before touching down. Satisfied there weren't any traps outside, Bill shrunk his broom and approached the entrance. The temple entry was covered in murals and Heiroglyphs. A protective spell had managed to partially survive the ages and large sections were still colored in bold paint. A procession of Sphinxes were painted on either side of the grand entrance, as if they were entering the building. Oddly though, they were painted blue instead of their normal sandy color. Winged serpents flanked the door and a woman with wings and a bright red sundisk sat protectively above it. The hieroglyphs were mostly protective spells against erosion, the name of the Pharoah at the time and the priests who'd maintained the temple. The wards against intrusion were already broken and Bill couldn't find any additional ones to worry about. He stepped up the stairs and into the midst of the carved support columns. The Serpents were coiled around the carved columns and Vultures flew in relief over them. The statues of two Sphines reclined on either side of the doorway. A quick spell showed them to be innocent statues and not likely to leapt at him. A number of Pharaoh hounds ran in packs across the recessed stone walls, followed by men with spears. More animal headed gods processed in a line around the top of the entrance portico. The ceiling was painted with stars. The enchantements which made them glow still remained after all these years. It was very impressive. Bill looked at the scroll and read the next part of the instructions; Go in. Easy enough.

            The inside of the temple was cool. Whatever tenacious magic had kept the paint on the walls had survived inside as well. Bill scanned the area looking for traps and possibly cursed objects. A waist high slab of marble glowed red, indicating a protective magic. Bill cautiously approached it and read the inscription.

            "Absolutely no Soliciting. Beware of Sphinx."

            "Er, I'm not selling anything," Bill said. The carving's glow winked out and Bill chuckled. It was possibly the most practical trigger for a curse he'd seen thus far. He filed that one away and made a mental note to tell his mother. This chamber was very plain by Egyptian standards. An amazingly accurate map was carved in relief on the south wall while the rest of the chamber's walls contained a small square of writing. Bill eyed those squares of writing as he carefully used a searching spell to find any traps. There wasn't one but two. One sealed the unwary in the chamber and the other unleashed "Hapi's Fury". With Hapi being the God of the Nile, it was a fairly safe bet that whomever tripped the curse would soon find themselves quite wet. The painted Nile on the map glowed balefully at Bill as he broke the curses in the chamber. The Nile wouldn't flow from the carving anytime soon. Sure there weren't any other nasty surprises, Bill moved on to the next chamber.

            The carvings on the wall all turned and looked at him as he entered. Bill smiled in spite of himself. Moving carvings were quite rare. Most hadn't survived the ages and they'd been quite hard to produce to begin with. It was another lost magical art. The animal headed Gods were playing a quiet game of Senet in one corner, their wives were, presumably, chatting in another corner. It looked like just about every family reunion Bill had ever attended. Ignoring the approving looks of the Goddesses and the glares of the Gods, Bill checked the chamber for traps. One had once existed but a previous intruder had broken it.

            "Good evening Ladies," Bill nodded politely to the Goddesses as he passed. They smiled at him and then went back to their corner, moving in their odd profile-yet-not gait.

            A group of Particularily nasty mummies, a giant scorpion and a several nasty traps later, Bill passed though the last antechamber into the main sanctuary. As soon as he entered the braziers by the door roared to life. Bill spun to face them, wand ready. Seeing they were only fires and not burning anything noxious he relaxed. 

            "WELCOME!" a voice boomed from the darkness. Bill yelped and turned to face the voice. He blinked a few times and wondered if what he was seeing was some sort of illusion.

            "Come forward,"

            Bill consulted the instruction scroll. It said: Do It.

            "Gee, thanks," Bill muttered at the parchment before stuffing it in a pocket.  Bill approached the dais. A large Sphinx sat on the stone, watching him intently. She was a metallic version of the blue Sphinxes outside. It took Bill a moment to realize she was made entirely of metal enchanted to be that color. She tilted her head and peered at him with large ruby eyes. Her eyes weren't red. They were real rubies about the size of Bill's fist.  The Sphinx's hair was made of spun gold and copper, as was the tip of her leonine tail. Despite that fact they she looked like a machine, her voice was very natural sounding. Perhaps she was wearing armor? She noticed Bill examining her and she fluttered her golden wings and flexed her claws. Those claws were diamonds if he wasn't mistaken. Bill hadn't known that diamond could be cut into a shape like that. The next, more terrifying thought, was that since they were diamond, they could cut through just about anything.

            "Hello," Bill said, feeling quite dumb. Oh well, it never hurt to be nice to the monsters. Sometimes they felt bad about trying to eat you and paused long enough for you to get away. Sometimes.

"Welcome. You seek the treasure?"

            "Yes," Bill told her. He noticed that her mouth never moved, as if the face were a mask of some type. The Sphinx rose onto her four feet and began pacing on the dais. Bill took an involuntary step back and held his wand at a ready position.

            "Shall we begin then? I assume you know the rules?"

            "Three riddles. I answer them and you let me pass. I can decline to answer and leave unscathed and if I fail you get to uh, eat me?"

            "That is correct,"

            "Ok, let's do this then," Bill said with resolve. So far it wasn't so bad. The Sphinx nodded and sat back down on the dais.

"At night they come without being fetched,

And by day they are lost without being stolen" She intoned.

            "Riiight," Bill stretched the word out and thought for a moment. By day they are lost and by night they come. So what comes out at night. Animals? Hmm they aren't exactly lost during the day, I've stepped on enough supposedly nocturnal scorpions and snakes to know that, he thought. And it's a plural thing so it can't be the moon…

            "I know," he said aloud, a grin on his face, "it's the stars,"

            "That is correct," the Sphinx told him then went on to the next riddle.

"I never was, am always to be,

No one ever saw me, nor ever will

And yet I am the confidence of all

To live and breathe on this terrestrial ball."

            "Ok, maybe this isn't so easy," Bill said to himself. Right, always to be. Never was. Ok so it's a play on tenses. A play on _the tenses? The future? Well that's not strictly true since seers can see into the future. But are they going to quibble semantics? I hate riddles like these! To the Sphinx he called out, "No hints, right?" The Sphinx tilted her head, "Didn't think so," Bill told her. Hmm. Never seen but we are certain it exists? That could be any number of things. Some animals, certain spells, heck Infinity even fits. I mean you can never reach it, but we had to use it so bloody often in Arethremancy. You can never see if because it's always one more. Wait! So is tomorrow! Bill grinned at the Sphinx._

            "You have an answer?" she asked.

            "Tomorrow! The answer is tomorrow!"

            "That is correct. Are you ready for the third riddle?"

            "Go for it,"Bill told her jovially. She tilted her head again.

            "This is the one that most people fail on, you realize," She told him.

            "Oh," Bill thought. Right. That whole losing limbs thing. Bill was suddenly reminded of the exceedingly sharp claws on the Sphinx. Well, he could run fast and he had his broom. Broom! Good idea. Bill pulled his miniaturized broom out of his pocket and held it in the palm of his hand, wand ready in the other.

            "It's my job, I have to go on. So let's hear the riddle,"

            "So be it," the Sphinx said.

"The quickest hunter, the fastest pack, 

The greatest guardian, two cover your back.

The games we play are not what they seem,

Tell me,

What is your youngest brother's favorite sports team?"

"What?" Bill asked. What sort of riddle is this? How could there possibly be a right answer? Or a wrong one? Hunters and packs? Well this was an Egyptian Sphinx, so Senet? The game of Jackals and Hounds? But Guardians? One which covered his back? And then the bit about his brother! None of it made sense! Bill sighed and tried to puzzle out the answer. Youngest brother, well that would be Ron. Bill sat on a fallen stone slab and glared at the Sphinx. She looked back at him, patiently waiting.

"Clarification if I may?"

"Ask,"

"To cover my back. That's not the number two, right? It's the direction or purpose."

"It is the number"

"Oh. Right then," Bill wiped the sweat off his forehead. That had been close. He sighed. No wonder no one got this riddle, it was impossible! 

"Might as well get this over with. My youngest brother Ron's favorite sports team is the Chudley Cannons," Bill was actually five steps towards the door when the Sphinx called out, "Correct!"

"What?" Bill asked, feeling rather dumb.

"That is correct," the Sphinx actually sounded happy, "You have no idea how long I have waited to hear that answer. NO idea whatsoever. Well? Are you coming?" The Sphinx was on her feet and looking at him expectantly.

"Right. Coming. You sure that's the correct answer? This isn't some sort of plot to eat me or anything, is it?"

"Hardly," the Sphinx snorted, "And I don't eat people who fail anyway,"

"Oh. What do you do?"

"Maim them, the kick them out,"

"Right. So, about this treasure," Bill eyed the diamond claws again. They were retracted now but the tips were visible under the metallic..fur? Skin? 

"Follow me," She said and trotted down the hall, her metal paws making a soft clanking sound against the stones.

"You aren't a typical Sphinx, are you?" Up close Bill was able to see the overlapping bits of metal and the fine craftsmanship in the Sphinx's metallic hide.

"No. I was built. My creators couldn't get a real Sphinx to guard the treasure for such a long period of time. They all claimed they'd get bored,"

"Makes sense. Sort of," Bill said. The corridor widened into a large chamber. In the center was a dark pool with a small circular island in the center of the pool. Four bridges arched from the perimeter of the room to the island in the center. Portions of the room were raised and held what looked like bits of glass or crystal. The carvings on the walls were a combination of abstract lines and depictions of people in varying dress and station in life.

"Right so you have to do a few things to get the treasure," The sphinx sat on her haunches just inside the door.

"What sort of things?" Bill asked suspiciously.

"First, pull that lever. Right, now pet the snake. PET the damn snake! Honestly are you a treasure hunter or aren't you? Good. Not so hard now was it? Now, take these stones and put them in the little holes in the island," she handed him a small leather bag tied with a thong.

Bill looked at her then began placing the small white stones in the holes he ound at the perimeter of the island. The Sphinx was busying herself tossing herbs into braziers around the perimeter of the room. 

"Up here!" She called. She was standing on a raised platform which contained an odd looking cauldron the bottom was formed into a golden snake which wore the sun disk. Bill finished putting the stones in the holes and climbed the steps up to the Sphinx. She sat on her haunches again and moved her elaborate collar aside then opened her chest. Bill caught a glimpse of working cogs, gears and an odd blue-white glow before she snapped the door closed again and replaced the collar. She handed him the small bag she'd retrieved from her chest.

"What's this?"

"Don't know. They never told me. Pour it into the water. I know it opens the treasure,"

"Right," Bill did as he was instructed and poured the contents into the cauldron. The powder was white and it began to glow as soon as it touched the water. Bill was told to throw several herbs and inscribed stones into the water. He then lit a fire under the mixture and was told to take a piece of inscribed gold and go stand in the center of the circle on the sun disk. The disk was a couple of yards wide and was an inlaid piece of red limestone. 

The Sphinx pushed a snake and Bill saw it was actually a release of some sort. The snake's mouth opened and the liquid rushed out. It dripped down the platform, glowing white and was it gaining speed? It touched the ground and then it raced outward on the floor, running into little grooves all over the chamber. Completely against gravity, the glowing liquid raced up the walls and across the ceiling, pushing dirt and debris from the channels. The air began to feel oddly charged as great power was invoked.

"Do you see the words on the gold tablet?" the Sphinx asked.

"Yes,"

"Can you read them?"

"Yes,"

"Do so…now!" 

Bill began reading the words as the glowing liquid approached the sun disk he was standing on. He began to worry as the liquid began arching over the four bridges marking the cardinal points. Liquid from the four directions touched the sun disk at the same time and raced around its perimeter, completing the circle. The chamber now glowed with the white light of the potion. The Figures on the walls had turned and were now looking at him. They were waiting for something. The disk at his feet began to glow red.

"See you in a bit!" the Sphinx called out, lifting a paw to wave 'bye'.

"Wait!" Bill shouted, but he was engulfed in a bright white light. He felt like he was being jerked backwards from the navel. It was then he realized that this was a very powerful port key. Perhaps the tablet was the object? It was only because the pull grew so painful that he didn't realize how long this trip was taking. Suddenly he slammed into the ground.

"Ow," he muttered before passing out.  

A/N: I have no idea where this story came from. The plot bunny just attacked!

Continued next chapter. See that little button down there? Smack it! It's fun! ^_^ 


	2. Chapter 2

Standard disclaimers apply. HP stuff isn't mine. Stuff that isn't JKRs can be blamed on me. Twisted ideas are also mine.

Bill Weasley groaned. He could feel every bone in his body, every aching inch of his skin, every twitching muscle. Something wet was pressed against his forehead. He wouldn't have minded that, except it smelled faintly of wet camel. Voices spoke in low tones somewhere in the vicinity of his feet. He couldn't make out their words and he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to move his head again, so looking at them was out of the question. His head felt like it had been encased in lead and filled with cotton. It was a singularly unpleasant experience. Gentle hands touched his temples and he felt a wonderful coolness spread over his body as the pain eased. Without the pain he could sense things more clearly. From the echoes he was in a larger room, lying on a wooden table. There were two people talking in a corner and someone was pressing the cool but smelly whatever against his forehead. And he was naked. Ok so there was a cloth of some sort draped modestly over his torso, but still! Bill's eyes snapped open. The glare from the sun made him wince. He put a hand up to shade his eyes and found he was looking at a lioness. Bill did what anyone would have done in that situation. He screamed.

He rolled off the table, losing the cloth in his haste. The man in the corner and the boy he'd been conversing with stopped and turned to stare at him. Quickly they began making placating noises and speaking in soft words. Why weren't they worried about the presence of a lioness! Bill turned around. The lioness was gone. A woman in her early forties stood on the opposite side of the table, a single eyebrow arched. Bill had a quick mind, so he added two and two together. An Animagus. He blushed furiously and snatched the cloth from the floor and quickly wound it around his hips.

"Sorry about that," he said, "You frightened me," The woman frowned, trying to understand Bill. She said something to the man in the corner who answered back. The young boy ran from the room abruptly. Bill decided the best thing to do would be to try and find his wand, and then try a translation spell. The woman said something to him again and then did the most interesting transfiguration Bill had ever seen. Her head and neck transformed into that of a lioness while the rest of her body remained human. The merge of human and animal was hidden behind her gold collar. Bill wasn't entirely sure he wanted to see what was underneath. He gaped openly at her as she collected her things into a neat satchel. She nodded to the man in the corner and then swept from the room. 

The man wore a leopard skin over a linen tunic. He'd shaved all his hair off and sported a deep tan. The man started speaking to Bill, obviously trying to get him to do something from the way her was gesturing. Bill finally got the idea that the man wanted him to sit on the table. Bill did so, but then began trying to ask about his wand. He wasn't sure what would happen if he tried to use _Accio. If the want was locked someplace, it could be severely damaged. The man frowned as he tried to understand what Bill was saying. They spent a few minutes talking at one another when the boy raced back into the room, a bundle clutched to his chest. _

"There are my clothes!" Bill exclaimed and thanked the boy. The boy seemed to understand the meaning of the words even if he didn't understand them. Bill put his clothes on as the man and boy spoke to one another. Bill searched his pockets and found his wand. Now he needed to think of an appropriate translation spell. Ancient Egyptian was a fairly dead language, but he knew enough about it to understand that that was the language they were speaking. There were some pockets of Egypt where the society had changed little with time and where they spoke the ancient language still. But more frequently they spoke the Coptic Egyptian, which is what Bill had learned to read the curses on tombs. Or get the gist. He had a decent grasp of the writing since he had to read so many curses, but he was sure his accent was way off. Bill tried some Coptic. No response. He tried some Latin.

"Salve!"

Now got odd looks, but no answer. Wait a second! Hadn't he been tripping over his translation spellbook for weeks now? He'd kept meaning to put it back on the shelf, but he'd always forgotten. Bill found his equipment sack and began pawing through the contents. Eventually he realized he had an audience. The man and the boy were watching him with interest as he continued to pull items from the bag. On the table he now had, a magical compass, his miniaturized boom, his emergency tent, several maps of Egypt, a few protective talismans, a Never-Burn-Up torch, a few official scrolls from Gringotts proving he was allowed to break curses, a treasure sack,  a Who's Who of ancient Gods and Monsters, the Cornucopia, a bottle of water and, yes, the translation book.

"Found it!" he told the man and boy, who looked at him quizzically. The boy poked the cornucopia and an apple rolled out. He laughed and began gesturing wildly to the older man who nodded. Bill began flipping though the index of the book.

"Ah!" he said, "A spell for when the Sphinx in question only speaks Ancient Egyptian, or when confronted by an Egyptian ghost. Bill pointed his wand at himself and uttered the spell, "_Translatorum__ Egyptus!" Bill turned to the man and boy._

"Can you understand me now?"

"Ah! He speaks our language now! You are correct! He must have magic!" The man said.

"Where are you from?" The boy asked, "And why didn't you do this before? Why did you wait?"

"Yes," the man said," I would like to know those things too,"

"Well when you took my clothes, you took my wand," Bill explained, " and I only just remembered I had that handy translation book,"

"A wand! You must be a doctor then!" the boy said cheerily.

"Er, no I'm not a doctor," Bill told him.

"But only doctors have wands,"  the boy looked confused.

"That is true. And I see your wand is not a normal one either," the man held out his hand and after a moment, Bill handed his wand to him. 

"What do you mean it's not normal?" Bill asked. All the wands he'd ever seen had been made the same way; Wooden casing and magical core. Though he'd heard of elaborate metal and wooden wands, he'd never seen one as they were both expensive and hard to control.

"Wands are made of Hippo tusk, everyone knows that," the boy stated.

"Now, now. Perhaps they do not have hippos where this man comes from, Menmaatre," The man handed Bill's wand back to him.

"Well, we don't have hippos where I come from, you are correct about that. Where I come from we put a magical core in wood. The core of my wand is a dragon heartstring for instance,"

"What's a dragon?" the boy asked.

"You don't have them here. Be glad of it. They are giant lizards that breathe fire and have very bad tempers," Bill explained as the boy's eyes grew wider. "They're huge too. The smallest is many times your size or mine. Most are bigger than houses. The biggest couldn't fit his head in this room,"

"I think I like our wands better. Hippos aren't nearly as frightening," the boy said sincerely. Bill chuckled.

"Very true. Very true. But I'm not sure their temper is any better," Bill winked. The boy laughed.

"Menmaatre, why don't you go see if the others need you assistance. You will have time to speak with our guest later,"

"Ok," the boy said grumpily, shuffling his feet as he left.

            "You appeared in the midst of our morning prayers in a great beam of light. You caused quite a stir," the man said as he watched Bill repack his case.

            I did? I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to, really. Would you believe that I really don't even know where I am? All I remember is talking to a Sphinx and she completed the spell and I woke up here. I think it was a portkey of some type. You don't happen to know anything about it, do you…?"

            "I am called Ptahhotep. I am the Chief Priest of Ptah. You are in the God's temple in the city of Mennefer,"

"Mennefer?" Bill blinked as he did a quick name translation. He was in Memphis? A shocked Bill looked at the priest, "I was more than two hundred Kilometers from here before I blacked out," 

            "You mentioned you were speaking with a Sphinx? A dangerous task to be sure,"

            "Yes I was. In fact I was at a place called the Temple of the waiting Sphinx,"

            "I have not heard of such a place. What God lives there?"

            "Uh, I don't think any god lived there. There was a mechanical sphinx in it though," Bill sighed when he saw the confused look on the priest's face, "Never mind. Well at least she didn't kill me. I have to get back to Gringotts and face the goblins. At least I'm fairly close to Cairo. No sense in drawing out the inevitable, right?" Bill flashed a crooked smile and began walking towards what he thought was a door outside.  "Thank you for your help. Can I pay you for your kindness?" Bill mentally reviewed the number of galleons he had in his purse. He would give all of it to the man, he felt so lucky to be alive.

            "Goblins? What is a Goblins? And where is Gringotts? I have not heard of that town before? Who is your patron God?" The man followed Bill outside.

            "You don't have Gringotts here? Well I suppose not everyone uses the goblins to keep their money safe. But I was sure that Men...ne….fer….Oh my," Bill had been about to say he'd been sure there was a branch near Memphis, but the words died in his throat.

            "What?" The priest asked. The stranger was staring out onto the city in a most peculiar way.

            "Oh, boy," Bill swallowed. This was a balcony courtyard in a massive temple complex. The temple was built on the rise towards Mt. Rahina. From here he had a clear vantage point for miles around. Small reed boats drifted on the shimmering Nile in the distance. At the river's edge and even further away, across the river, huge farms were being worked. More men worked the shoufas which drew water from the river. The buildings were all white washed and they shone in the desert sun. An old white stone wall enclosed much of what looked like older city, but the city had outgrown this boundary and spread for miles beyond it. Hundreds of people bustled in the market below his high temple vantage point. He was close enough to hear the din of merchants, performers, tradesmen, annoyed camels, even more annoyed camel owners. The buildings were all made of mud bricks and some stone. There were no cars, no street lights, no modern clothing, no telephone wires, no tourist stops. The sculptures were all intact and the paint fresh and vibrant.

            "Are you ok?" the priest asked.

            "No," Bill answered truthfully as he gazed around, feeling oddly detached.

To the south west were the pyramids and the massively sprawling necropolis. But he'd never seen any of it like this. He could see to Saqqara. The great stepped pyramid was beginning to show it's millennium of wear, but it was almost wholly intact. It stood, a giant crouched in the distance, looming over its smaller, though younger brethren. In Dashur, the bent pyramid gleamed in the sun next to its more regularly formed kin.

"Perhaps you should sit. You shouldn't have stepped into the midday sun," Ptahhotep cautioned, taking Bill's elbow. Bill didn't hear him.

The translation spell, the long portkey journey, the amazing ability of the animagus. Hesitantly, Bill pulled out the now quite battered Map of Egypt. He wanted to see where he was. He groaned as he read what the map had to say; Where is not as important as When. So take a wild guess genius.

            "Odd, fellow," the priest said to another of his order as the man joined them on the balcony, "I wonder if all this fainting is natural,"

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I did a ton of research on this. It was fun though and I am really loving how it is all fitting together so nicely! Some notes for you all since I want to point out important things. Ok so I might think they're important and of interest but you might already be hitting the review button, so who am I to argue, eh? That was a hint!

So, you ask, **WHEN is Bill Weasley, our fiery haired hero? **

Bill is in the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. Circa 1300 BC.  It's the 23rd year of the reign of Pharoah Horemheb, the last King in the 18th dynasty. Sadly he's gonna die in five years. But don't tell him that! (psst! He was the military commander for king Tut and he's followed in the line of kings by Ramesses I)

Notes on names and places:

Mennefer- "the good place". (A name for Memphis, the sometimes capital of Egypt) It was well known for its shining white walls when it was a fort and is seen as the symbolic joining of Upper and Lower Egypt. Another name was _Ankh-tawy_, "That which binds the two lands." Memphis was huge and lasted for three thousand years. It's next to Saqqara and Dahshur (Lots of Pyramids).  Ptah was also the main god of the city. This is the Capitol during Horemheb's reign.

Menmaatre = "Eternal is the Justice of Re"

Ptahhotep= "Ptah is at peace" 

Notes on Magic:

The Egyptians had "wands" made of carved Hippo teeth. They served as both knives and they were thought to have magical properties. They were usually used by healers. I'm thinking that the modern design of the wand with the wooden casing and magical core has yet to develop. They're gonna be perplexed by Bill's wand.

Gringotts doesn't exist yet and Goblins don't live in Egypt. Dragons also don't live in Egypt.

The Egyptians were amazing Transfiguration artists. (well in my mind) They are the ones that invented the Animagus transformation. (In my mind McGonagall is a traditionalist for choosing a tabby cat transformation. I think Animagi can choose their forms) My theory on this is that because they didn't use wands to direct their magic, their work is more linked to the will and concentration of the wizard in question. McGonagall, Sirius and Pettigrew do not need wands to do their transformations. This leads me to believe that a fairly wandless society would create a transfiguration technique that wouldn't need one. I also think that Most Egyptian Magic is fairly brute force by the modern standards since they do not have wands to direct delicate operations. It also requires lots of willpower, something I see transfiguration as needing.

The lionheaded animagus. In my mind the ability to partially transform is a widely lost art. Lack of the knowledge of the technique and lack of interest. However in Egypt it would be considered the ultimate in devotion to a chosen God and the pinnacle of transfiguration skills. No one ever mistakes the Mage-priests for the Gods. (except tourists! Yes, Egypt had tourists. People have come to see the pyramids since they were built) But only the Higher up priests and priestesses are allowed to perform the Gods head Animagus transformation (if they can, since not all of them are wizards and witches) and certain ordained warriors in the Pharoah's army.

The lionheaded animagus is a Preistess of Sekhmet, who was a goddess of death and destruction and disease and the wrath of Re. She was often invoked as a healer since she had control over sickness and disease.

Smack down the Button! See it? It's giving you lip! Hit it! Bad Button!


	3. Skip to ch 4

Please skip to ch4 which is actually chapter 3 version 2.0. ffn's new deleting warnings scare me and since I don't want to lose reviews I am putting a quick place holder up.

I'm going to take a moment and thank the people who reviewed this time ^_^

Alchemine , Hatshepsut (great name!!!),  and Jelsemium (who I must thank again for the use of the Bookwyrm). 

Jeselmium: yeah I liked that line too. It's very Djetre. He's something of a cross between Hiss in Disney's animated Robin Hood, Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series and Dumbledore. An interesting combination huh?

Hatshepsut: (again I love the name!) I'm so glad you liked this fic ^_^ reviews leave me floaty and fuzzy feeling all day. I'm glad you liked my other story as well. That one is a real beast and if I can get enough time to sit down, it's really going to pick up! 

Alchemine:  thank you for your review! Bill stories are rare, yeah. I found this gem http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=60047 by Jedi Boadicea a little bit after I began writing Clockwork so I've been careful not to let it sound too much like this. So far, so good! I also glad you could follow the detail! I've been told I have added too much. It's hard NOT to write a ton of detail when you can see everything crystal clear in your minds eye, but you run the risk of bogging down your readers. A great dead of the research had to be done recently since I haven't studied ancient Egypt since I had the passion (and time!) of an elementary school kid!

http://touregypt.net/ - this is the site was using as my primary source of info. Plus my past knowledge of the various gods/goddesses and some additional sites which listed names and had maps helped. Then I also got a bargain book at B&N about life in ancient Egypt (it's a Time Life book. some of the facts I think are kind of inaccurate but it has gorgeous maps!)

the best part was when I decided where to send him and who would play a major role and then I chose a dynasty…and everything worked. Locations, major events, gods, monsters, wizard etc. it was cool. ^_^ If you couldn't tell, I am really proud of this fic (since I think it's pretty original and I have done a lot of research on a subject I LOVE. I used a beta for ch 3 for the FA version and she wanted to know why it was Fanfic! I had huge warm fuzzies after that one)

 I was the weird little kid who not only knew about Zeus, Hercules, Poseidon and all them, but I knew all the roman names as well and then if I wasn't weird enough I knew all about the Egyptian gods and could recite the mummification process my heart. I did a report and creeped some other kids out. It was good.  The sphinx is probably the closest I've come to a self insertion char. ^_^ so I guess I am not doing too badly. That's the only reason she'd show up in the MS radar.

Thanks to a good online friend of mine who is just as twisted as I am, if not more, I have a direction and a menacing villain type person now! Yay! 

The inclusion of this villainous material is the reason for reposting chapter 3.

On to chapter 3, version 2.0!


	4. Version 2.0

Edited for your enjoyment! Ch3 ver 2.0!

Iunu stretched in the morning sun, luxuriating in the warmth of its patron God, Ra. The city was already baking, but temperature continued to rise as the sun approached its apex. The high priest of Ra, and spiritual leader of the city, Renakhti, blinked as he stepped into the sunlight from the shadows of his offices. The small balcony gave him one of the nicer views of the entire city and caught a nice breeze.

            "Well, it's a lovely day, isn't it," The speaker was a large serpent with flecks of black standing out among mostly golden scales. The highly cultured voice of the great serpent frightened and confused many visitors to the high priest's offices. After nearly seven decades, Renakhti was quite used to his familiar's speech. The falcon-headed priest nodded agreement and gazed into the perfect azure sky, briefly considering an aerial tour of the city before his daily meetings. The sound of running feet drew his attention back towards the building.

            "Well, I wonder who that is?" the serpent muttered then slithered off his warm perch on the wide stone railing and over to the priest, taking his place dutifully at Renakhti's side. He spread his hood impressively and assumed a cool gaze. A young woman sprinted out of the building and, seeing the person she was seeking, came to an abrupt stop. She gasped for breath and clutched her side with one hand and the doorframe with the other. Seeing who it was, the serpent dropped the impressive gaze act, rolled his eyes and huffed a small sigh. It was always _something with Pedire. Renakhti afforded himself a small, wheezing, birdlike chuckle as he waited for the woman to collect herself. A scant second later, an annoyed bodyguard arrived carrying a single beaded sandal. Seeing the piercing gaze of the priest, he stepped back a few paces and bowed before taking up a relaxed position by the door. Nothing could hurt his charge here (except perhaps herself) so he waited patiently._

            "Sir," the woman gasped, "Sir! He's here. Blessed be the Gods, he's here," She finally managed to get out, eyes wide with excitement and perhaps a little fear.

            "Who's here?" the serpent asked.

            "The one I saw," she gasped, "The one with the hair!" having sprinted from the other side of the rather extensive temple complex, Pedire was justifiably short winded.

            "Lots of people have hair, Pedire," the serpent chided wryly, shaking his head slightly. His amused tone was echoed in the friendly glint in the falcon eyes of the priest.

            "Yes I know!" Pedire snapped in exasperation, "But this is the one I saw in the vision! The one with hair like a Benu bird! He's come! I know it!"

 Pedire was the youngest daughter of the previous Pharaoh, and one of the amazingly few with the true gift of Sight. When she spoke of visions, only a very stupid person would ignore her. Falcon eyes met serpentine for a moment as the two spoke wordlessly. The Priest tilted his head in a movement that was both eerily human and yet also animal as he regarded the woman. Pedire shuddered slightly under the gaze and tried smoothing her rumpled dress so it looked more presentable. It was far too long to run in. She was immensely grateful when the high priest walked past her, inside. Examination by Renakhti always made her feel as if the God himself were examining her very soul, however mild mannered the priest actually was.

            "Come along, inside," the serpent said as he slithered past, following his wizard. Pedire nodded and followed, stopping only to send an apologetic look to Tef who had the misfortune of guarding her today. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment as Tef wordlessly handed her sandal back. His dark eyes glinted in amusement when he realized she hadn't even noticed she'd lost it. Pedire shot him a dirty look as she shoved the footgear on. They'd have _words later. But now was a time for business. _

Renakhti bade the Seer sit across from him and bade a waiting apprentice go fetch cools drinks. The serpent,**_ Djtre, coiled himself next to the priest on a low bench._**

            "How do you know this?" Djtre asked even as Renakhti made a questioning gesture.

            "I had another vision." The seer stated. "I saw a bright white light and then I heard a man yell in surprise. It wasn't a very clear _vision," she said. Both familiar and wizard looked skeptical. "I didn't see much, but only twice before have I felt this __completely sure of what a vision means," Pedire told them sincerely. The falcon headed priest took a deep breath and released it slowly._

The first time Pedire had seen a vision, she'd been a mere five years old. She'd seen an assassination attempt on the Pharaoh's life. Luckily her nursemaid had been so frightened by the child's behavior she'd gone right to her husband, who just happened to be the head of the palace guard. Few visions since had been as strong, but all had been accurate and none had ever been ignored. Not even the odd one five years before, about a man whose hair looked like the flaming feathers of the sacred benu bird. Her rare ability also was the reason for Tef and the others of her guard. A Seer was a priceless gift from the Gods, and was well guarded. Slowly, Renakhti nodded. Pedire looked immensely relieved. There was always the nagging worry that someone wouldn't believe her.

            "Do you know where he is?" As it always did, hearing the voice of the serpent speaking in place of the immensely powerful high priest of Re, made Pedire uncomfortable. But today, her conviction gave her a sense of security she'd rarely known in their presence.

            "Mennefer," She stated. Again the falcon head nodded. "We must go get him! There is so much to do! He looked like a foreigner. He might not know his way around our land. The city might have changed. He needs a guide." Her exclamations came out in an excited rush.

            "Patience," Djtre told her. Renakhti's lower jaw had dropped into an avian grin. The woman let out a puff of air then nodded.

            "I worry! He's very important." she said in her defense.  As if on cue, a falcon, a real one, winged into the room. It carried a message. The bird landed in the arm of the priest's chair and waited as she was relieved of her burden. The bird then flew to the far side of the room where water and food were always kept. Renakhti read the message, showed the scroll to Djtre and then passed it across the table to Pedire.

            "It seems that he indeed arrived in a flash of light during the daily service to Ptah, in the main temple. He gave the priests there quite an understandable shock," Djtre repeated the message on the scroll, "As per our request, the high priest there has informed us of his arrival. Well, it looks like it's begun. I can't say I'm glad to see it, but I suppose that's the way things are." the serpent sighed then grew gravely serious. "You know what to do."

            "I do," Pedire said as she rose, "I will go to Mennefer as soon as I am able."

            "Good, good.  May Re stand between you and harm in all the empty places where you must walk," The serpent intoned as the priest blessed the journey with upraised arms. Pedire bowed her head then walked briskly from the room, Tef at her heels.

            "I would appreciate it, if the next time you are stuck by something like this, you would pause a moment and let me have a running start?" Tef was nearly two meters tall, had a deep voice, and an annoying habit of teasing his charge. He towered over Pedire when she stopped to glare at him.

            "Maybe you should be faster. And if _you couldn't catch me then the chances are good that a kidnapper couldn't either." she sniffed and turned on her heel, beaded braids swinging with the sudden movement._

            "I wouldn't count on that," he replied seriously. Pedire's scowl disappeared and she nodded agreement.

            "Yeah, yeah. We're going to Mennefer. No doubt you are jumping for joy."

            "We will manage," he shrugged. When they arrived at her quarters, she made a beeline for her travel gear.

"My lady?" Her personal maid, Seri, questioned as her charge stalked into the room.

            "We leave for Mennefer as soon as we are able," she explained as she hauled out her wooden trunk. "The vision I saw five years ago is coming true and we have no time to waste."

            "Yes," Seri nodded and began efficiently packing the essentials for travel. Pedire entered her personal chambers and was met by six scowling faces. Tef, Ndjet, Ay, Den,** Iawy and Siptah, her personal guards, were not pleased by sudden trips. No doubt Tef had filled them all in by now.**

            "Look, you know I have to go," she said simply and began pulling assorted scrolls from their holding places, and rolling star charts. The men exchanged exasperated looks. Two shrugged and left, leaving the rest to begin helping her pack. 

            "We understand that you must go," Ndjet told her as he handed her a detailed map of the southern stars, "but that does not mean we like it any more. Ay and Iawy will be going ahead to check the city. We must insist that you be accompanied by either Tef, Myself or Siptah wherever you go."

            "Fine, fine!" she muttered, already losing patience with their mothering. "It's your heads and mine if we screw up security. I know that. I've known the drill since I was five! Hand me that!"

            "Yes ma'am," Siptah said demurely. Pedire scowled at him and snatched the scroll.

            She chewed her lower lip as she watched her bodyguards assemble her packs. She understood the need for her security even if she hated being followed around all the time. There had been a number of attempted kidnappings in her past and she would never forget the night when she'd been eight and one of her bodyguards had died for her. She made an elaborate offering to the memory of Setau once a year. Pedire shook herself from memory and continued to pack.

            Djtre watched as the Seer's boat caught the wind and began moving up the Nile. He spared a glance at his wizard. Renakhti's falcon headed face was impassive, the picture of serenity to the causal observer. The serpent noticed a slight tension however.

            "Well," he said, "there she goes."

            "What do you think?" the priest asked. His voice was raspy from disuse since he spoke so rarely.

            "I'm not sure what I think at this point." Djtre tilted his head, the closest he could get to a shrug since he lacked shoulders. "Big things are happening. Will happen. Her vision has not sat well with me at all."

            "It has unsettled me as well, my friend." Renakhti sighed "But even as she prophesized doom for us, for our way of life, she gave me hope."

            "Hope?" the serpent questioned. How his wizard could see hope in that situation was beyond him.

            "Yes, hope. The stranger is a gift, Djtre. He will see us through these times even as Set does. I am sure of it. His hair is a sign."

            "Set? Deserts and Chaos will help us?" the serpent asked skeptically. The falcon wheezed a chuckle.

            "Remember, the ancient teachings say that it is he who protects the sun as it travels in the underworld."

            "That is true, and against the dark one, no less. I was there when those were written, remember." 

            "I remember. And you will be here to see the results of today. Journey to my tomb and tell me won't you?"        

            "Of course."

The two were silent as they watched the boat fade into the distance, each thinking their own thoughts. The serpent rose up so he was eye to eye with the wizard. 

"So, you are suggesting that we will fight chaos with chaos? Destruction with destruction? Oh I like that." the serpent's jaw dropped in a grin, "I like that a lot. It shall go in my book, I think." He sank down do he was at his normal height again.

            "I thought you might approve. Occasionally we people are good for things other than writing books for you to read and being the occasional snack." The serpent snorted.

            "I haven't eaten a human in ages. If I didn't know you were possessed of bad humor, I'd be insulted."

            "Think what you will."

            "I will. Thank you. So, have the Gods sent to us a great warmonger to defeat our enemies, then?"

            "I do not think so. I think he sent us a protector who is familiar with the ways of chaos."

            "I look forward to meeting him," Djtre said. Renakhti grunted what might have been an agreement. "Silent once again? Well then, let me tell you this idea I have for a Library."

As the boat caught the wind and began to move up the river towards Mennefer, Pedire couldn't help but feel apprehensive. Iunu dwindled in the distance, soon to be lost completely by the curve of the Nile. The soft rocking of the boat on the water was normally calming, but tonight she felt exposed and uneasy. She made her way back to Tef and the others as the sun set.

"I feel uneasy out here." She admitted, feeling very small standing next to such tall men. They exchanged looks and casually took up guarding positions around her. The anxious feeling abated slightly, but Pedire couldn't help scanning the area for signs of danger. A soft music floated on the air, growing louder so gradually it took a moment to notice. It was like the music had always been there; rich and vibrant and complex like life itself. Pedire was not the only one whose breath caught as the haunting sounds floated along the water. She looked up, as did all the other passengers, the crew and her guards. The tense mood seemed to melt away and be replaced by a sense of joy and well-being. The music slowly faded away into the background as night fell.

            "Benu," one of the older sailors whispered to his companions, breaking the almost holy silence. They nodded and resumed their tasks. 

            A silent figure stood on the western shore and watched the boat pass. The Seer was on that ship. The Seer would lead to the stranger. The stranger would unlock the power and information of the false gods. The master would see the false ones brought to their knees and then the kingdom would be right again. A soft sound rose on the air. The figure hissed and hunched over in pain. The Seer would not arrive until morning. There was no point in being here. The figure drew its cloak tighter and then disappeared.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Names, things 'n places:

**Iunu : (Gk.Heliopolis). Main center for worship of the sun god Ra (Re), Atum (Ra-Atum/Atum-Ra**)** and Ra-Horakhty (as the evolution of the religion changed and various gods merged). The city was close to where Cairo is today, but almost nothing remains. The city was said to have contained many obelisks upon which Benu birds sometimes perched. It was a center of astronomy, learning and theological speculation.**

**Benu bird: A mythological bird associated w/ the Egyptian creation myth. The Egyptian Phoenix. The bird is described as being "Big" and has been depicted in paintings and hieroglyphs as looking somewhat like a heron. When the bird sang, the sound started time. It was said to have migrated back to the city the Greeks called Heliopolis (the city of the sun) every 500 years. It also burned and rose from the ashes, regenerated. Often said to be the soul of Osiris.**

Rough translations of names:

Pedire: "wise one of Re" 

Renakhti:  "Re is strong."

Djtre: "cobra of Re"

"May God [Re] stand between you and harm in all the dark places you must walk." Adapted from B5, because I love that show so much. I don't if it's a real blessing ( I suspect it is), but it sounds good. If it's not real, then it's J. Michael Straczynski's.

Special thanks to Jelsemium for letting me use her bookwyrm idea (you can find the story here: http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=652869). An explanation as to why Djtre isn't trying to eat anyone (well, an explanation other than being someone's familiar, is forthcoming)

Many thanks to my reviewers! Timmytoo, Harriet, Medrelina the Weird and Jelsemium, thank you! 


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